Insulated rail-joint



(. W. WHITEMAN.

INSULATE RAIL JOINT.

APPLlcATmN FILED MAY 27. 1920.

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UNITED srxrizs GEORG-E W. WI-II'IEMAN, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

INSULATED RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

Application filed May 27, 1820. Serial No. 384,555.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WHITE- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insulated Rail-Joints, of which the following is a speciiication.

In all insulated rail joints, a sheet of insulation is interposed between the meeting ends of the rails. Under normal conditions,4 the rail ends are subject to separation due to climatic changes with the result that this sheet of insulation gets loose, is battered by the traffic passing over the joint when in the loose condition and is frequently damaged to suoli an extent as to render the joint 'substantially useless for the purpose desired. Additionally, separation of the rail ends subjects them to such severe hammer blows by the-traiiic as to result in the rail-heads breaking at the joint in many instances.

Une object of my invention is to provide means whereby the meeting ends of the rails are held in close engagement with the plate of insulation interposed between the same, thereby insuring that it will maintain its position under all conditions and also avoiding all danger of battering the same out of shape.

A further object of my invention is to provide means, properly insulated, for bringing the rail ends in close engagement with the plate of insulation interposed between the same.

ri`hese and other features of my invention are more fully Vdescribed hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a side elevation of one form of insulated rail joint having the features comprising the subject of my inventiom Fig. 2, is a sectional plan view of the joint, taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a modified construction of insulated joint within the scope of my invention.

Figs. 4 and 5, are cross sectional views taken on the line 4-4 and 5-5, Fig. 2, and

Fig. 6, is a cross sectional view on the line 6--6, Fig. 3.

In the drawing 1, 1, represent the meeting ends of a pair of rails between which is placed a sheet of insulated material 2; the latter having a contour the same as the cross sectional contour of the rails.

In the present instance, my improvements are shown in connection with a particular form of insulated rail joint in which a flanged chair or rail seat 3 receives the meeting ends of the rails 1, 1; the joint includingwooden blocks t and 5 disposed on opposite sides of the rail ends, with an L- shaped section of insulating material 6 lying between the chair 3, the rail ends and one of the wooden joint members. In suoli form of joint, the retaining bolts 8, which are provided with proper insulation are passed through the chair, wood blocks and rails, and are secured by suitable nuts 9, which may be disposed on the chair side of the joint.

To hold the rail ends in close engagement with the interposed sheet 2 of insulting material, I provide positive retaining means which may also be employed to bring the rail ends together. For this purpose, I may provide the rails with angle brackets 11, which may be bolted thereto as indicated at 12, and provided with suitable insulating plates 18; which brackets are connected t0- getlier by a longitudinal tension bolt 14, threaded at each end as at 14a and properly insulated from the brackets; suitable collars 15, of insulating material being provided. rIhe threaded ends 14? of the bolt 14: pass through laterally disposed ears 112L of the brackets, and the rail ends may be drawn together, prior to tightening the nuts 9, on the bolts 8, by tightening nuts 16 applied to the threaded ends 14a of the tension bolt 111. By this means, the rail ends of the insulated joint are kept in close contact with the interposed insulating plate 2. The holes in the rail ends for the passage of the bolts 8 are more or less elongated to permit the rails to be drawn together without affecting the position of the bolts with respect to the members of the joint.

In Figs. 3 and 6, I have shown a modiiied arrangement in which a joint, having the usual form of splice-bars indicated at 17, is provided with a pair of connecting members 18; such members being secured at one end to the rails by bolts 19, and having at their opposite ends laterally projecting ears 18a through which a short bolt 19EL may be passed, with nuts 2O at each end of the bolt 194 to draw the members 18 together and with them the rail ends to which these connecting members are attached by the bolts 19. In this form of joint, plates 21 of insulating material are interposed between the splice-bars and the rail ends, and plates 22 of insulatingmaterial are placed between Y one of said splice-bars and the connecting members 18. The bolts 8a connecting the rail ends andthe splice-bars may be provided with insulating sleeves 23. t may be desirable, insome instances, to elongate.

the holes provided in the connecting members V1&3 for the passage or" thevbolts 8a, as indicated at 24.

As the insulated jriints are only placed at :intervals of one tov tenV or twenty of the ordinary oints, there is ample provision forV normal expansion or contraction of the rails at these other joints. I claim:

Vl. The combination, with a pair of rails,

Vtheir ends inpermanent Contact with' said interposed sheet of insulating material.

3. The combination, with a pair of rails, of a `sheet of insulating material interposed between the meeting ends oi thev same, means' for holding Vsaid frail ends.V in permanent YContact `with said interposedV sheet of insulating material, and means VJfor insulating said holding means from the rails,

.4'. The combination', in an Vinsulated'rail joint, of a pair oirailends, securing means for saidrail ends, asheet 'oi insulating material interposedrbetween the meetingjends oi' the rails, means Vfor drawing the; rail ends together for permanent Contact with said sheet of insulating material; said means including brackets carried by the rails adjacent to the endsrof the same, andY means Jorinsulating said brackets Jfrom `the means for drawing the rail ends together.

Y 5. vThe combination in an insulated rail joint, oi" a pair oi railends, securing ,means Vfor saidrail ends, a sheet of insulatingv material interposed between the .meeting ends of the rails, insulating material disposed bei tween said rail ends and the' securing means,

a tension bolt for drawing'the rail ends to;

gether for permanent Contact with said sheet of insulating material, brackets carried by f tension bolt.

6. The combination of a pair-of meeting rail ends, a sheet of insulating material in- Vterposed between the .ends of: the saine7 insulated mean-s ii'or. holding said' rail ends together, ay connectingmeniber having apertures for the passage of the rail-end-securf ing means,` brackets carried by the railV ends; said connecting member having threaded ends adapted to pass through ears carried by said brackets, means. for securing said threaded ends tov the brackets. and for imparting longitudinal movement to the connecting member whereby the railjends may be drawn into` engagement with the interposed sheet of insulating material.

f 7. The combination, of a pair of meeting rai'l'ends, a sheet' 'of insulating material in terposed between the ends of the same, in-

sulated means including bolts. for holding said rail ends together, a longitudinal connecting member having apertures Vfor the passageI of said bolts, brackets carried by the rail ends having apertured ears, saidconnecting member having threaded ends adapted to) pass through said ears, and insulating Vmeans for securing the threaded ends of said Y connecting memberV to the brackets and fori imparting longitudinal movement to the same whereby the rail ends' mayibe drawn intov engagementA with the interposed sheet of insulating material said Vcontact being eiiected before the joint securing bolts are tightened.

8. The combination, witha pair of rails, of a sheet of insulating material'interposed between the meeting ends of the same, means insulated' from the rails Jiior holdingv their meeting ends in permanent contact with said sheet of insulatingmaterial, and means for preventing lateral displacement of said sheet of insulating material.

In witness whereof I have signed this specification.

esoneri w. wiii'iiiiinii. 

